Keeping the brain vital and elastic is a topic of major concern these days. With a focus on Alzheimer's and with the baby boomers heading into their later years, more and more people are looking for ways to keep their mental capacities and abilities strong and viable.

Fortunately, a lot of information and research findings on this topic are readily available. There are many herbs known to be helpful, as well as nutrition, supplements, and lifestyle practices, all of which go hand in hand. With some solid information and a bit of self-discipline, keeping your brain and cognitive abilities strong is not difficult.

First, let's talk about herbs that are great for brain health.

• Gingko biloba: This is a well-known herb used for the purpose of increasing blood supply to the brain. In addition, it neutralizes several kinds of dangerous free radicals that can damage brain cells. Gingko acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, increases neurotransmitter activity, increases sugar metabolism in the brain, increases alpha brain waves associated with mental alertness, and works as an antioxidant to protect the brain.

Earlier this year, GreenStar Marketing employee Mariah Rose Dahl entered GreenStar in a contest for the best display highlighting the mission of Gaia Herbs. Her display was picked as a winner, and she and others were invited to the Gaia Farm to see their operations. In the interview below, she shares some of what she experienced there.

Tell us about Gaia Farm.

The Farm is on 550 acres in Brevard, North Carolina. They grow about thirty-five different herbs on the farm, which supplies 25 percent of their crop needs. They were certified organic in 1997. Every year, they're recertified under the Oregon Tilth program, which looks at the supply chain from seed to equipment, how they manage the borders around the farm, crop rotation, pest management, what they use for winter crops, and soil test results. One interesting aspect that reflects the balance they're trying to create is the way they deal with pest management. Instead of trying to chemically wipe out Japanese beetles, which had become a serious pest, they brought in Tiphia wasps, which lay parasitic eggs in the beetle grub. The larvae consume the entire grub, and in the spring the wasps emerge and fly up into the tulip poplar trees, which I thought was a beautiful image of a natural cycle.

I can still recollect the childhood evenings when my mom made use of her pressure cooker, especially the sound of the vibrating round weight at the top letting off steam — and excess pressure — two or three times a minute. Little did I think...

The idea behind cooking in pressurized water-as-it-turns-into-steam is this: the increased pressure (which also contributes to better penetration of the water/steam) is accompanied by increased temperature, something experimentally confirmed and made into a usable formula by Robert Boyle and his assistant, Robert Hooke, three-and-a-half centuries ago. The first application of this principle — the first actual cooking demonstration — came less than two decades later. It would be another two centuries before attempts could realistically be made to popularize it, in this first go around, by making the cooker out of cast iron. However, another half-century plus passed — to the mid-twentieth century — before industry, no longer turning out parts for war aircraft, turned its factories towards such mass-fabrication, making consumer appliances such as pressure cookers out of aluminum. Competition proved stiff; design and manufacture were too often done on the cheap; reliability and safety too often went missing, and in the long run, the technology was not adopted. Pressure cooking even fell into disrepute — who wanted a pot blowing up in their kitchen? I don't know how often this might have happened — probably quite rare — but just the idea that it could, with that constant "reminder," the incessant sound of hot steam periodically hissing while it operated, while all very normal, couldn't be very enticing for potential users who weren't sure that there might be an upside.

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Look for some great prices on supplements during March! Gaia Herbs, Vibrant Health, and Wiley's finest are all on sale.

We've got some top-of-the-line supplements on sale for you in March! Gaia Herbs, Vibrant Health, and Wiley's Finest are all 20 percent off! For herbal extracts in a vegetarian capsule, look no further than Gaia's liquid phytocaps. All Gaia products have an identification number on the package; enter it in the "Meet Your Herbs" field on their website and you'll see the test results of your particular product batch. These show that the product is free of bacterial and heavy-|metal contaminants, and confirm that the ingredients are exactly what the label states. Vibrant Health also features full-disclosure labels (no "proprietary blends"). Their products are dynamic by design, constantly updated according to the latest peer-reviewed scientific studies. Do you concoct your daily smoothie from various powders — greens, proteins, antioxidants, probiotics? Maximum Vibrance can be your one-stop shop, as one scoop contains them all! Last, Wiley's Finest makes Alaskan Pollock fish oil from a certified sustainable fishery. Come share our enthusiasm for these awesome companies!

Installing a renewable energy system for your home or business is not a decision that should be taken lightly. For most people, renewable energy is unfamiliar territory — it is an issue that we hear about often in the news, but not one we frequently consider for ourselves. There are many financial, practical and ethical decisions to be made when installing a renewable energy system. If these decisions are well-considered, the process can be fun and instructive. If made in haste, or wit...